The Bargain or Death And The Warrior

Part One

In which the Scene is Set, and Death takes Pity on the Warrior

Once upon a time, in a far-flung corner of the earth, there was a country named Fire, in which the land was green and the people were brave and true.
In the Fire Country, there was a large and beautiful village set deeply among the green leaves of the forest. This Hidden Village in the Leaves was the home of the great Warriors who fought to protect the peaceful folk of the Fire Country.
It is said that within each and every Warrior of the Leaves burned the Will of Fire, and rumour of this spread far and wide beyond the Fire Country's borders, keeping foes at bay.
Now, there was one young Warrior within whom the Will of Fire burned more brightly than most. Even the Fire Shadow, who was high commander of the Leaf Warriors, was heard to say that this young man held great strength and passion within him.
He had bright silver hair that shone in the moonlight, and he danced with Death often. When he fought beneath the forest canopy, Death became his welcome companion and trusted ally.

He was named the White Fang of the Leaf, and his spirit was fierce and his heart was true.
As he grew older, this young Warrior made a name for himself, and became famed for his deeds throughout the Five Countries and beyond, and the Fire Shadow acknowledged him and begged him promise to take a wife. The Leaf was in great need of new young Warriors, and the best Warriors in the Leaf were encouraged to continue their bloodlines.

Now Death was pleased to hear this, as although he would miss dancing in the woods with the young warrior, the truth was that more than anything in the world or in the heavens, Death longed for a child of his own.

So the White Fang took a leave of absence from his Warrior duties, and set out on a quest to find a wife, taking with him only his trusty white sword and his best set of clothes.
And Death stalked the Warrior, plotting and scheming as he journeyed.
For 3 years the White Fang toiled in his quest, but not one woman did he meet whom he would take for a wife.
"I have journeyed throughout the lands of the South, East, North and West, through all the Five Countries and beyond. There are many beautiful women, to be certain, but none have stolen my heart, and I have seen no woman strong enough to please the Fire Shadow."

The White Fang decided to give up his quest and set out on the long journey back home to the Fire Country and the Village in the Leaves.
While he was still several days from home, the White Fang became weary and paused to rest beneath an old oak tree. Knowing that he was now within the borders of the Fire Country, the Warrior did not set a watch but fell asleep.
During the night thieves took the Warrior by surprise. He had barely time to awaken when he saw them making off with his clothes and sword.
Before the White Fang had time to give chase, a Shadow fell from the trees and defeated the thieves, taking back from them the White Fang's clothes and sword. The Shadow approached the wary Warrior, the sword and clothes held out in its arms.
Did his tired eyes deceive him or did the White Fang see, instead of a Shadow, the most beautiful woman in all the Countries of the world?
Her skin was as white as the first snowfall of winter and her hair was as black as midnight and as soft as the finest silk. Her dress was woven of cobwebs and butterfly wings and her sandals were of the purest spun gold.
The young Warrior could not keep his eyes from this lovely woman. "She must be a princess!" he thought. "She is so strong and beautiful! With such a wife as she I could indeed produce offspring to please the Fire Shadow."
With that, the handsome Warrior fell to his knees before the Woman and cried out "oh Woman! I have never seen such beauty and strength. Will thou marry me, oh angel of the trees, and return with me to the Village in the Leaves as my wife?"
The White Fang hardly dared hope, and so he closed his eyes to await the Woman's reply.
"Yes, young Warrior, I will do so. I will become your wife, and return with you to the Village in the Leaves. But I have one condition."
The White Fang could not believe his luck. "Anything", he said, "name your price".
At this the Woman laughed, and the sound was at once as beautiful and as sad as the Nightingale singing softly to the one she loves, and as joyous as the voices of the little children in the village school.
"I shall bear you only one child, and when that child is born I shall leave you and take the child as well and you shall be alone."
This seemed a high price, but the White Fang held great faith in his heart, and truly believed there was nothing he could not change, so he accepted, and vowed to himself that he would change the Woman's mind.
So the White Fang and the forest Woman were married, and there was great joy and celebration in the Hidden Village in the Leaves, and even the Fire Shadow himself congratulated the Warrior and his wife and wished them well.
Of course, the White Fang told no one of his promise, and so when the Woman became with child there was much rejoicing, for her strength and beauty had become the talk of the Village in the Leaves.
When the time came for the child to be born the Woman turned to the White Fang and said:

"Husband, do you remember the promise you gave to me in the forest on the night that we first met?"

And the White Fang nodded sadly, for he did remember, but did not wish for it to come to pass.
So he begged the Woman not to leave, but she declined saying that he must honour his promise. He threw himself at her beautiful feet and begged her not to take the child, and seeing his tears she relented, and the child was born.
As the first cry of the child was heard in the Village in the Leaves, the form of the beautiful woman began to transform.
It twisted and writhed until in front of the White Fang's horrified eyes it became the figure of Death, a grotesque form which all people recognised and all ran from in fear.
All but the stout Warrior, who stood firm although his knees did tremble. The White Fang was not afraid for he had often danced with Death on the battlefield, and they had been like brothers.
Death spoke to the White Fang in a voice none too kindly and he said "I will not take the child at this time. Instead, I will return for him in 8 years. You have persuaded me with your faithful and trusting heart. I will leave the child with you for a short time, for we have been friends, you and I, have we not, and you have gifted me with many precious lives throughout the years. Without you I would not have this child, so in my gratitude I leave him to you until I am ready to take him."

And with those words Death was gone.

The White Fang looked upon his child, and felt in his heart great happiness, although he was saddened at the loss of his lovely wife, and angry at his old friend Death for his deceit.

As the child grew, his beauty, intelligence and strength became well-known within the Village in the Leaves. The boy had an ethereal quality to him, although only the White Fang knew the cause, and he moved with a grace foreign to other children.

As the White Fang walked with his son the women of the Village would often speak to him and would remark upon the child's extraordinary beauty.

And the White Fang himself could not help but simply gaze upon his son on occasion for long hours as he played or slept, marvelling in the simple perfection of the child.

The little boy, who was known as the Scarecrow, was indeed fair to behold, and he appeared fairer still because he was unaware of his own beauty, and played and ran through the forest with a joy and abandon that was shared only by the wild Creatures of the forest, who often played alongside the Little Scarecrow.

He had silvery hair of the softest Spiders silk, and eyes of the clearest black obsidian, mined from the very core of the earth. His skin was like that which Death had given himself in the guise of the Forest Woman, smooth and white like driven snow, and his little lips were were like the petals of the reddest Camelia.

It broke the White Fang's heart to know that Death would all too soon be coming to claim the boy for his own.

For several years the White Fang and the Little Scarecrow lived happily together, and the Scarecrow began to train as a Warrior of the Leaf like his father.

A day came when the peace of the Fire Country was shattered, and War broke out with the neighbouring Country of Rock. The people of Rock were strong and were known for their Hearts of Stone, and they fought dearly for their part.

The Little Scarecrow was sent to fight with the Warriors of the Leaf, so strong was he at such a tender age, and his father the White Fang also fought and performed great acts of courage.

The War raged on for several summers, and it seemed the Leaf would prevail, until one fateful day the White Fang returned in disgrace. He was shunned by the Fire Shadow and all the people of the Village Hidden in the Leaves for what he had done.

The White Fang had saved the lives of his men, and had returned with them safely to their wives and children, but at the expense of the mission he had set out to complete.

The War began to go badly from this point onward and the White Fang sank into a deep depression, from which nothing would rouse him, not even the Little Scarecrow.

And so it came to pass that one month before the Scarecrow's eighth birthday the White Fang was still wracked with despair over what he had done.

And Death came to the White Fang and reminded him of his promise.

"White Fang" he said, "in one month I shall come to you again, and I will take the Little Scarecrow. He will come with me and I will show him the Earth and the Heavens and I will teach him my ways, and he shall learn to be my son."

And the White Fang made no reply, he was too deeply consumed by his depression. But he began to cry, and moaned "in but one short month my precious Little Scarecrow will be gone from me. Oh how will I live alone? My Scarecrow is my only light. If he is taken from me I will surely not survive. Oh, if only Death would take me instead, and leave my good Little Scarecrow to continue his life. I do not wish to go on, and I cannot let Death twist my beautiful Scarecrow to his ways."

And Death, upon hearing this, once again took pity on the poor, honest Warrior. He came to him and he promised that in one month he would return and would take the White Fang and spare the Scarecrow, and the White Fang sank to his knees and kissed the black sandals of Death through his tears.

Of course, there were conditions attached to Death's kind offer to his old playmate, for who was Death to give something for free? Death outlined these conditions to the White Fang ticking each off on his long white fingers as he spoke.

"First of all, I shall not take your life, White Fang, although you beg it of me, for it is not yet your time. You shall take your own life, and plant the seed of despair within the heart of your precious Little Scarecrow. Second of all, I shall not touch the boy. Third of all, I shall take, one by one, each and every person that the Little Scarecrow holds dear."

At this the White Fang gasped and cried out.

"No! You cannot do that! I will not allow it!"

But Death just shook his head.

"You cannot stop me. I intend to make the child mine. He has remained too long with you, White Fang. He is now mortal, but if he sinks into despair and joins me of his own free will, he will transcend his mortality and join me in my Domain."

So this is your goal, Brother Death, my old companion?" said the White Fang. "In that case I have one more request if you will grant it."

Death gestured to the White Fang to state his request.

"I will take my own life, but the Scarecrow must be at my side to witness my passing."

At this Death let out a tremendous bellowing laugh.

"That is perfect!" he cried in his voice like honey. "He will fall faster if I let you do this. You are a fool, White Fang, so I will grant your request!"

But the White Fang smiled to himself. "Ah, but perhaps I know my Little Scarecrow better than you do, Brother Death. We will see we will see."

And it came to pass that the White Fang took his own life, and the Little Scarecrow witnessed it and the light died in his obsidian eyes, and Death watched from the shadows and chuckled with glee. The Little Scarecrow would soon be at his side.

End of Part One